Jay Nance wrote on December 08, 2009 06:38 AM: There is a 3rd train plan that is now working hard to make this a reality. We will be running conventional rail on the existing tracks.

http://www.vegasxpress.com

Woody Nelson wrote on December 07, 2009 10:35 PM: High Speed Rail will never Happen but coming in 2010 is www.VegasXPress.com from Fullerton to Las Vegas and check out www.XTrainRadio.com

Rob L. wrote on October 12, 2009 10:08 PM: FreeNevada wrote: "The Sierra Club and others know the 91 problem is real and will compromise by allowing a maglev to punch through the forest because there are no emissions and it can be fenced & elevated where needed to preserve wildlife."

Do you seriously believe that? And even if the Sierra Club got behind slicing a train through a national forest, which I dont think will EVER will happen, do you really believe the people of south OC/Irvine will let that happen? I live here and have seen the NIMBY, it is real...

birdiedreamin wrote on October 12, 2009 09:27 PM: maglev

Tom, Burbank wrote on October 12, 2009 08:43 PM: R-J, stop perpetuating the lie that DesertXpress will be "privately funded." Your own paper has reported more than once that the project will require $2.5 billion in government loans. Here's one example, from your pages, dated 6-28-09:

"They plan to recruit $1.5 billion in private equity investment and BORROW THE REST through the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing Program, which operates through the Federal Railroad Administration." (Capitals added for emphasis)

Your editors and reporters (Adrienne Packer, this article's author, has reported on the train debate previously) need to pay more attention.

Free Nevada wrote on October 12, 2009 08:34 PM: @Think About It: No, a maglev can offer walk-on/off convenience like a subway or the LV Monorail because it can't be taken control of and flown into a strategic target.

@Vegas Babe: Amtrak is "uncool" in SoCal. As Edge says in U2's song "Numb": "Don't travel by train." The maglev is ohwaydifferent. Riding on air at over 300mph for under an hour --not being dragged through town in a box. It's only $32/round trip for their current bus service --most don't know/care?

@Mike Heath: There is a way. We need to retarget the maglev to Irvine Spectrum by way of Indio and Temecula. That has the advantage of being cheaper anyway as most of the route is already rated for trains or is wilderness. This will ease congestion on the 91 between Riverside and OC without punching a freeway through the forest (and if you understand politics in California you know how many decades and Billions just the approval process for that would take). The Sierra Club and others know the 91 problem is real and will compromise by allowing a maglev to punch through the forest because there are no emissions and it can be fenced & elevated where needed to preserve wildlife. This route will also allow us to tap Billions in funds already earmarked for solving the 91 problem and provide CONSTANT ADVERTISING of Vegas to commuters between Riverside and OC (which is more people daily than live in Clark County). On the other hand, DesertXpress --even its name-- and it having something to do with Victorville is not going to be thought about by most people in SoCal who live down below the Cajon Pass and their route doesn't work well in Winter weather, lol.

Vegas Babe wrote on October 12, 2009 05:42 PM: I agree with K:
"Why not just bring back the old Amtrak? The go slow but steady train between here and LA? People were always riding it. I know I did."
I, too, rode the old Amtrak at least twice a year. It took a bit longer than driving, but it was a fun party train. And the scenery was beautiful, especially when it paralleled the packed I-15. Sure beat the devil out of driving!

Richard wrote on October 12, 2009 05:39 PM: This poll is the poster child for ridiculous polls. If it isn't going thru your backyard and you're not being asked to pay for it why should anyone care. Did they take a poll before they built CityCenter? Would anyone care what the results were? of course not.

The train (whichever) is solely another conduit for tourism industry. If highspeed buses would do it we would have someone proposing high speed buses. If you are not being asked to carry the freight and it doesn't whistle thru the back yard let our highly capable politicos decide whether they want to fund an Amtracs big sister.
May even get a few jobs out of it.

Mike Heath wrote on October 12, 2009 04:51 PM: California will not spend a dime on maglev to vegas. It is already has a voter approved plan to spend billions on high speed rail between SF and LA. Until there is rail between those markets (and other feeder markets throughout CA), CA will not spend a dime on a train to Vegas.

Thus, maglev will not be built unless Nevada is willing to use public money to lay track on California land. This will never, ever happen. So lets dismiss maglev for the pipe dream it is and discuss the benefits of the DesertXpress.

It does sound rediculous to have an express train end at Victorville. But remember the train is being privately funded--worst case scenario the investors lose their hats and the train gets sold in parts to Europe.

Also, any train going between So Cal and LV would have one passenger in mind--the So Cal passenger. Las Vegas, with less than 10 percent of the population of So Cal would be an afterthought.

So the question is not whether Vegas residents would be willing to take a train to Victorville (they won't), but whether residents of So Cal would be willing to travel from Victorville to the heart of Vegas. If you are traveling from So Cal to Vegas it makes more sense because you don't have to rent a car at the end of the line.

Best case scenario, we get a train that is expandable to all points in California, including Northern California through an extension to the Palmdale station of the planned California High Speed Rail project, we have more mobility and less traffic on I15, and increased visitors.

We can either wait for maglev (in which case we will be waiting forever). Or, we can just let private developers do their thing.

AJ wrote on October 12, 2009 04:49 PM: Im just curious, but would'nt a magnetic train present a liability where patrons wearing a pacemaker or defibrulator is concerned ?

Having been warned that my husband could not pass through magnetic security scans in stores or airports , I have to wonder if its safe. Im 100% FOr a fast rail to California . Ideal now that traveling by car is so expensive .

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